The offseason is already here sadly enough, but I'm sure you're aware of the kind of turnover that takes place in a Kentucky offseason. It looks like that process has sort of started to begin this afternoon. Kentucky backup center, Ugonna Onyenso, has announced that he will return to the school for a sophomore season, per Ben Roberts of the Herald Leader.
The near seven-foot Nigeria native sure looks to have a promising future in college basketball, but down the road. He has yet to receive enough reps that I think he'll need in order to prove himself. While his hand-eye coordination is holding him back from serious role payer minutes, as well as playing behind one of the best rebounders that the sport has seen over the last four decades, you could see how his minutes could be very limited. But with the likely departure of Oscar Tshiebwe (NBA) and Daimion Collins (transfer) this summer, his minutes could increase a lot during the summer workouts.
During his freshman season, Ugo totaled 40 points, 42 rebounds, 16 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists on 18/34 shooting across 6.9 minutes a game. That averages out to about 2.5 points and 2.6 rebound per game in the 16 games he got in for. His two biggest game as a Wildcat date back to early November, where he scored 9 points (in 19 minutes) against Duquesne, and 7 points (in 18 minutes) against North Florida.
While the potential is definitely there, he of course needs to go out and prove it in his second year for it to be more than just an expectation. It must become a reality for the big man. With that being said, I'm extremely happy he's coming back.